Paul “Sonny” H. Scheid Jr., former president of Scheid Produce Inc., a company founded by his father, died June 3. He was 89.
His father founded Paul H. Scheid Produce in Millersville, Pa., in 1929, the year Paul H. Scheid Jr. was born. The company, which still operates in Millersville, changed its name to Scheid Produce in 1970.
He grew up in the family business which at first only consisted of vegetable plots and door-to-door sales, according to the company’s Mike Albright.
Paul Jr., known as “Sonny,” took over the business in 1968 and transitioned from retail sales to a wholesale operation and made trips to Florida to purchase directly from growers.
In the 1970s, his sons Neil and Mark Scheid became involved in the company.
Eventually, the company moved from a small warehouse into an updated cold-storage facility, according to Albright.
In the mid-1990s, company growth spurred another move, into a 40,000 square-foot facility built across the street, half of which has cold-storage space.
Though he “retired” in 2003, Sonny Scheid was present in the warehouse for many years after that.
“He offered sagely advice or a joke to lighten the mood to employees and customers alike,” Albright said in an e-mail. “A knowledgeable and intrepid spirit, he will be greatly missed.”
A service will be 11 a.m. June 8 at the Andrew T. Scheid Funeral Home, Millersville. Memorials in his honor can be made to St. Jude’s Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN, or to Make-A-Wish America Gift Processing, 1702 E. Highland Ave., Suite 400, Phoenix, AZ, 85016.
